#d. nolan / re.

[occudo]

Guess who started re-reading @ml-nolan 's Hiding in Plain Sight (again)? Not me for sure... Quick sketches, because they get so many fun outfits there :D

[simmisstrait]

#08 The PawsHospital ✾ Deco Sim ✾

Welcome in the PawsHospital.

Check here for the amazing lot

Included:

● ''A'': One Sim with a Puppy on a Chair | One Sim with a Cat on a Chair |

'' One sim is a doctor's assistant | One Child walking to the store

● ''B' : Father, mother and a child at the animal area | A Child with a bird |

'' A father and a toddler with the fish | A cat being petted by a woman

● ''C'': 2 workers die washing two dogs | 1 worker who is cutting a dog

● ''D'' : 4 cats | 4 Dogs | 1 Mother dog with 4 puppies | One Family

● ''E'' : One Sim with a Cat | One Doctor | One Sim with a Dog | Mother and Infant with her dog

● ''H'' : Two dogs playing together |1 Dog rent to the poles | 1 Dog jumps through the swing | 1 Dog stands ''beautiful'' | 1 Dog is peeing

In total I have put together 51 deco sims for you with different skin colors.

Note: The animals have one skin color

Have Fun!

DL  -  !114.8 MB!

Check here for the amazing lot

T.O.U

● Do not reupload

● Do not claimas your own

● Don’t re-upload.

● Don’t Copy

● The deco sims are high poly, if you has shadows > (tutorial here)

@ts4-poses  @sssvitlanz @love4sims4 @emilyccfinds @maxismatchccworld @mandy-ccfinds @itsjessicaccfinds @nolan-sims-ccfinds

I really would like to see if you use my Deco Sims! 

So tag me at tumblr and instagram (@simmisstrait)

[starseneyes]

Chenford REWIND- Lucy Chen / Tim Bradford - The Rookie - Season 4 Ep 8 & 9

I'm LOVING y'all's requests. Please keep 'em coming! The second I saw chenfordfan2386 request these two, I knew it had to be done. I'm a huge Peyton List fan, and I love episodes that dive deeper into our favorite characters.

SPOILER ALERT: If you like to live an un-spoiled life, this is not the post for you. I try to write these as though I'm seeing them for the first time, and will definitely spoil these episodes and include references to episodes previously aired.

Everybody ready and know what to expect? Great! Let's dive in.

Hit and Run

"I'm losing to Smitty?" "Oh, that's embarrassing."

I love how Tim is commenting on this discussion even as he's pretending not to be a part of it. Lucy looks up at him, a smile on her face like, "you're hopeless".

"You know what would really help? An endorsement from someone who is respected within the department."

Tim looks to Nolan, incredulous. But watch how his face shifts when he looks to Lucy. There's a subtle shift as she leans closer to him, trying to get him to give in.

"No. No. Don't drag me into this. No. I have never endorsed a candidate, and I never will."

Small detail, but I love it. Tim reaches for Lucy's camera first. He hands it to her before getting his own.

"Genny!" "Sergeant Bradford."

As soon as Genny approaches and hugs Tim, Lucy gets out of the way. She has no idea who this woman is, but Genny is making Tim smile and getting physical affection without hesitation. She has to be important to him, right?

"So, what are you doing here?" "I just wanted to see my big brother."

Look at the shift in Lucy Chen with this information! This isn't Tim's new gorgeous girlfriend he's never mentioned. It's his little sister!

"Oh! Hi! I'm Lucy Chen. I know that we just met but if you have any embarrassing stories from his childhood that would be..."

Tim gives a nice glare at Lucy and she shuts up... for now. C'mon, you know Lucy is gonna get that dirt!

"Because I know why you're here, and I've made my position very clear."

Take note, here, that Tim is speaking cryptically. Because, this is a tie back to the worst part of his life, the most broken parts of himself, and the source of so much of his trauma.

Lucy doesn't know how bad it was. Yes, after DOD he opened up enough to tell Lucy that his father "tuned [him] up on the regular"... but that didn't paint the whole picture.

And having his little sister here is going to re-open all those wounds that nobody, save maybe Isabelle, has ever seen.

This tops everything that ever went wrong with her. This is the foundational heartache that defined so much of Tim and how he lives his life. This is the place his nightmares were born and his need for stability and to protect his heart.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

"Why don't I do one of those ride along thingees? That way, we could have the whole day to catch up." "Yeah, see, you gotta get permission to do a ride along. It's a long process. A ton of paperwork." "Hey, you're a Sergeant, now, you can just approve it yourself."

Lucy knew what she was doing. Does she know exactly what will be discussed? No. But she can see that Tim's avoiding something he needs to face, and the psychology girl in her can't ignore it.

"Did Tim have any nicknames when he was a kid?"

I love Genny's look to Tim on this one. Like, "Is this person for real?"

"Oh, yeah, he tried to highlight his hair right before Prom. He ended up looking like Slim Shady."

I. Love. Lucy's. Positioning. She is literally turned completely toward him, this goofy grin on her face, drinking every second in.

There's a freedom in how she's talking with Genny, how she's watching Tim, and I think about later in the episode when she finds out he's not single... and how I'm glad she didn't know before this scene.

Because look at how happy she is. She's loving every little morsel, learning more about Tim. Yes, she's out for the embarrassing stuff, right now. But, don't you love even the silly facts you learn about the person you love?

"Oh, you know what, I think I have a picture of it." "Oh my god, yes!" "Genny." "What? You'd rather I keep this photo private? That's fine. Let's talk about Dad." "I have nothing to say."

He tries to catch eyes with his sister in the rearview mirror. He's still talking in short-code, not wanting to go further. While Genny knows all the details, of course, he isn't ready to be that vulnerable with Lucy, especially now that he's seeing someone.

Go with me... have you ever had a friend who kinda served as a placeholder for something romantic? I had a gay friend like that back in high school. We were super close and people thought we were dating, but neither of us had any interest in each other. We just did all the couply things together because neither of us had a person.

Lucy once realized she was doing it with Jackson, and I think after the events of 4x01, Tim realizes he was starting to do it with Lucy. Let's be real, he's been doing those things forever with Lucy. But, I think he started to notice and it scared the shit out of him.

His ex-wife was a Rookie with him. They were both officers. She was UC. And there are too many similarities there even if Lucy is a completely different person from Isabelle.

I firmly believe part of why Tim is seeing someone nobody knows about is because he wants to date someone separate from the station to convince himself that he can.

He needs to convince himself that there's nothing between him and Lucy, because he is in no way ready to face it.

So, of course he doesn't want to let Lucy into his heart and personal life further. He wants to keep her where he is since some part of him knows he can never push her back to where she was before the veils started to fall.

"Okay. What's your cell phone number? I'll text it to you." "Genny-"

Lucy is all smiles. Because she still doesn't get it. Lucy might've forgotten Tim's one sentence about his father post-DOD (for goodness sake, that scene had a lot going on). She was in a fragile mental state, and after Tim returned her ring, I wouldn't blame her if she forgot 90% of what he said.

"You are impossible." "I'm impossible? Lucy, who's more difficult? Me or Tim?" "Of course she's gonna pick me."

I cackled so hard the first time I heard this line that I had to rewind for the rest of the scene. How Melissa O'Neil kept a straight face is beyond me, but it makes it all the funnier.

"Because you are the most stubborn person alive. Which, by the way, is why you're still single." "First of all, I'm not. And second-" "Wait. What? You're seeing someone?" "This is insane. There's an armed and dangerous suspect at large. We gotta focus."

How long has he been riding with Lucy and said nothing about this chick? Now, we all know Tim likes to pretend that there's no personal business in that Shop, but this episode proves that particular rules is constantly in flux.

Lucy was doing a good job at staying out of the sibling fight and concentrating on her work... until she heard Tim wasn't single. He redirects and she holds up her hand. The wife equivalent of, "Alright, we've had this fight before, no point having it, again. I got it."

But Tim slides a look back at Lucy. He didn't meant to say anything about his new girlfriend in front of Lucy, but he's so comfortable with her, he forgot himself.

That's what it really boils down to. If it had been almost anyone else in the Shop, he wouldn't have been that transparent.

But he's comfortable enough around Lucy to say things without thought. And the last thing he wants to do right now is let her in more.

"What is your favorite show? Mine is House Hunters International." "Oh my god, the best."

Can we just take a moment to appreciate these future sisters-in-law bonding? Lucy and Genny definitely understand one another, and I have a feeling their kids are gonna grow up together with sleepovers, movie nights, and fun DIY projects. What? A gal can dream, right?

"Maybe I should just let it go, but that house was my childhood home. I don't wanna tear it down. I want another family to live there and make happy memories." "Of course! I moved out ten years ago, and when I think of home, I still think of my parents house."

Lucy is being conversational and compassionate. But she doesn't understand. Tim can't take anymore, and he pulls over.

Watch. Tim's. Hand. Eric Winter is an actor who acts all the way through his fingers and his toes. And you can really see it here with how his hand is suddenly unsteady on the wheel.

Because "home" is a hard word for someone who grew up in an unstable one. Genny was more shielded from it, even though she grew up around it. When you're the target of the anger and frustration... it's just different.

You think of the "house" and know it was never a "home". Not for you. Not for Tim. Tim grew up in a house. "Home" denotes a certain level of safety that was never afforded him.

No, he can't take another minute of this. He can't pretend that he's not mentally back there—just a helpless kid who did nothing to deserve what happened.

"What's wrong?" "Tim? Look, I know you don't feel the same way I do, but our childhood wasn't all bad."

Gosh. It's like talking to my little brother. I'm Tim and he's Genny, and the younger one was somehow so shielded despite growing up in the same house. There are legit tears in my eyes, because it's so darn hard. If not for my journals I kept religiously, I might question my own memory when talking to him.

"Stop. Alright? Are you really getting nostalgic over that place? What do you want? Some other family to just cuddle up under the broken plaster where dad slammed my head against the wall?"

We finally see Lucy, again. She's been cut out of this since they pulled over. But, we get to see her react. Because now she gets it.

There's so much for her to unpack, here about how this informs who Tim is, why he makes the choices he does, and how he's gotten so broken over the years. He didn't have a great foundation.

"Dad had a lot of demons." "Dad was a monster." "He's changed. You haven't seen him in 20 years." "The only thing that's changed is that the drinking caught up with him. He can't throw a punch, but he's the same guy underneath." "He's not, and you'd know that if you'd visit the hospice." "Not in a million years."

Tim hasn't glanced at Lucy once during this. It's not about her. But, in an indirect way, this shows, again, how close they are.

He's not censoring himself in front of Lucy. He's speaking freely about something very personal. Later he might re-think it, but in the moment he's comfortable enough for this scene to happen.

"Hospice?" "I had to move him out of Assisted Living last month. Dad's dying."

Hospice care in America is usually the end of the line. No chance of recovery. Make you comfortable until you pass.

And there's nothing anyone else can say at that moment. Tim's barely keeping it together, and it's been a long time since we've seen him this broken in the Shop.

But it really can work that way. One word. One memory. One reference that throws you back into the worst of it all. And suddenly, all the emotions you felt then but weren't allowed to show flood you to the point that you're barely containing yourself, and it was all so long ago you'd think the wounds had healed.

Tim needs to get his head back in the game. So, he wordlessly pulls back into traffic.

"When you were 7 years old he dropped you in Griffith Park with a compass and made you find your way home." "Which I did." "Tim Test."

How fast he looked at her. Lucy catches his glance and realizes how it hit. She didn't mean it to, but it hurt. Because that comparison to the person you want least to be like is agony... even if the words weren't intended to burn. They sear into your flesh and you start to re-examine yourself to see if there's a trace of them there.

You share the same DNA, but that doesn't mean you're the same. Your choices define you, and you have to believe that you can break cycles or else you'll break apart.

Lucy just equated Tim to his father. She didn't mean anything by it, but the barely breathed, passing thought is imprinted in Tim's memory, now.

"Uh, Tim, listen... your sister needs you." "Lucy-" "I realize that I'm overstepping here, but just hear me out. It's clear that you got the worst of it with your father, but she lived through it with you. Instead of arguing about how bad your dad was or wasn't, maybe as children of... of abuse, you would be better off supporting each other."

The way he looks away on "abuse" reminds me of how he reacted when she said he had a learning disability. These are not things Tim likes to think about or face. But Lucy has never seen them as a branding on his life, merely parts of who he is.

She doesn't label him to ostracize him or set him apart. She tries to help him understand how these things exist within him, but don't define him.

And, oh, my little brother was such a pill growing up. Such a pill. But he was also the first person to ever say I didn't deserve the verbal and emotional abuse I received. He was only 13, but it meant the bloody world. I was 17, and I truly believed I got what I deserved. I wish I'd never lived through it, but I'm infinitely thankful for my brother so I didn't have to go through it alone.

"Ready to go?" "Yeah."

Lucy wordlessly gets out of the way of the siblings, but Tim can't take his eyes off of her, and Genny noticed.

Come on. She's his little sister. Much as he said he wasn't single and has somebody, she has already clocked that there's something between these two.

"Look, I'm really sorry about today. I should have listened more." "I agree. But thanks for saying it. It means a lot." "I'm still not going to see him."

Tim put up a boundary, and that's healthy. It's so hard to set boundaries, sometimes, and I really do applaud Tim that he set his. He owes his father nothing. And much as Genny doesn't agree with it, she needs to learn to respect it.

Sure, Tim could benefit from some therapy and really processing through his trauma. Genny's not wrong in that. But Tim's not going to go unless Tim is willing to go, and berating him is no way to get through to him.

"If you're free this weekend, maybe we could go by the place, see what needs to be done, and you can give us an estimate." "Did you just say 'we'? As in you're gonna help?" "I checked out some comps in the neighborhood. We could get a million for that place easy. Plus, it shouldn't all fall on you."

I think it's marvelous that before Lucy told him to be there for his sister, he was already looking at comps. He was already thinking about it.

Lucy, in this case, echoed the best parts of Tim. Sometimes she helps him find those better parts. But, he's learning, again, how to listen to them on his own.

That's so much progress for his character. And it's so beautiful to watch him blossom.

"Could I have everyone's attention, please? I would like to formally give my endorsement for Union Rep to a man who has the backs of every officer in this station, John Nolan."

Did. You. See. Lucy!? As Nolan moves through the crowd hand-shaking, Lucy cocks her head at Tim. Tim cocks his head back.

Because she's proud of him. He just did something he's never done, that he said he'd never do, because he knew it was the right thing. Smitty would run the whole thing into the ground.

Tim took action to help the entire station, and he's opening himself up just a little more to the people around him.

And Lucy is such a huge part of that. She always will be. But... that's a story for another Meta.

Breakdown

AKA "The One Where I Cry The Whole Time"

"Well, Nolan says an open-concept sells better-."

Excuse me... I gotta cut you off right there because... Lucy Chen is in your childhood house? Lucy Chen is helping you with Demo? Lucy Chen is here instead of the person you're dating?

Tim... and I say this with all love... what the hell? You invited your coworker to come help you with this and thought we'd, what, not notice!? Your sister must be standing there thinking, "My big brother is in denial!"

"Do you remember how Mom used to make us pose by the window for every formal dance?" "Oh my gosh, my Mom did that, too. And I always had to have a wrist corsage." "Yes! Why was that ever a thing?"

Tim. Are you seeing this, Tim? This is sister-in-law energy. Clearly, you need to throw that lifeguard chick back to the ocean because the woman you're going to marry is right here... And you're the one who invited her.

"No. No more reminiscing. This is about fixing up the house and selling it." "Wait. Wait. Wait. Hold on. I mean, you guys are ending a huge chapter in your lives. You guys need closure." *Tim turns on the tool* "What?" "I said you need closure." "What?" "You're an idiot."

Huge. Married. Energy. Like, my husband and I do stupid stuff like this. And Genny is right there.

Also, let's talk about how far Tim and Lucy have come. Yes, Lucy has always stood up to Tim when he needed it. But this is downright flirty. Like, this is Girlfriend talk, not Sergeant's Aide talk.

"You guys are so lucky. I begged my Mom and Dad to have a sibling. They got me a turtle. Uh, it was cute, but a little smelly." "Cute and smelly pretty much sums up Tim's teenage years. You didn't miss much." "Wow. And to think I was actually excited when they brought you home from the hospital."

I love how freely Tim speaks to his sister in front of Lucy. Think about Season 1 Tim. He would never. But the fortified walls that once separated them have all come down. Thin veils are all that remains.

"What is it?" "There's something in the wall." "Oh, is it my Malibu Barbie? It's worth a lot, now." "No, it's metal... What the hell is a gun doing in our wall?"

This isn't Chenford, but it's so important to the story, and it makes me think of the previous episode when Tim talked about his Dad breaking the plaster with Tim's head... Looks like good ole Dad did a lot of repairs, so as kids, Genny and Tim wouldn't have even thought it strange. It was part of the cycle of abuse.

"We need to run ballistics." *aggressive head nodding from Tim* "Wait, you don't actually think it was used in a crime?" "It's our job to find out."

Tim looks to Lucy on this one. It's not hard for him to imagine his father the villain. He is too distracted by this weapon to think of anything else. Because thinking of Dad brings back up all those things he's tried to shove down and not face.

"Look, we'll be back as soon as we can." "But it's your day off. You said you'd help." "It won't take long. Come on, Chen."

Tim's in work-mode. But let's not pretend he's completely objective. Some part of him needs to know where this gun came from... to know if the Monster who raised him is even more of a Monster. Could there finally be some punishment for all the horrible things he's done?

But Genny's frustrated. She doesn't understand this part of Tim, and she's frustrated because for the last 20 years, Dad has been her responsibility.

She's been the one dealing with his medical care, with moving him from facility to facility, with visiting him and trying to be a caring daughter, all while not even living in LA.

They're not communicating. And they can't see this from the same viewpoint because though they grew up in the same house, they have different childhoods.

You might think, "that's impossible", but it's true. Some parents play favorites. Some parents dole out all the abuse on one child. Some parents are negligent toward one child and not the other.

It's very possible to grow up in seemingly the same environment and have completely different experiences. That's Tim and Genny. But she's tired of carrying the burden, and he's blind to his emotions clouding his vision.

"I knew you'd find some excuse to leave." "Genny. This is serious." "It's fine. Go."

Tim takes the out, but Lucy can feel the tension, and she's trying to mediate between her husband and sister-in-law.

"She's got a point. You could have called someone to handle this. You still can." "A good Sergeant doesn't create work for his officers. Even on his day off." "And it's not at all about the emotions this house is stirring up?" "It's just a house."

Because even Tim Bradford "Supercop" has blind spots. We see it in 5x12 (and, yes, that's all I'm saying on it) and we see it here. There are times when Tim can't be objective—and I'm so thankful Lucy Chen is there to keep him in check today.

"Ballistics came back on the gun we found in the wall." "That was fast." "Yeah, I mean, I had to buy a case of Girl Scout cookies from Derek's kid. You're welcome."

Married. We've seen Tim pull strings for Lucy, before, getting calls sent to him to help her with her checklist, and whatnot. Now, we see Lucy spending her own money to help rush ballistics on the weapon.

There's no guarantee that rushing ballistics would have gotten them back to Genny sooner. No, this is about getting Tim the answers he needs as fast as possible.

"Monica is not a solid alibi. They were having an affair. My mom didn't know, but I did."

Tim was 14. Just a kid. But he was protecting his mom. We had a babysitter, once, who left us outside a bar while they went in and got drinks. We had another who had a physical altercation with her husband in front of us and yanked us out of bed, riding through the night until we found a safe place to crash.

I distracted my little brother so he didn't realize what was going on. I didn't tell my Mom. I knew she had such a hard time finding babysitters with her hours, and we didn't want to add to her burdens.

It sucks being a kid who has to think like an adult. And that was Tim.

"Wait, wait, wait. You're going to question your father's mistress? ... You can't be the one to question her. We need to do this right."

Tim's objectivity is skewed, here, and Lucy can see it. Also, can we talk about how many times Lucy uses "we" in this episode? The gun "we" found. "We" need to do this right. She's using an awful lot of inclusive language, which is better for getting through to Tim, but also really telling. Even on their day off, they're a unit.

"You do it."

Tim points to her in a "you're right" movement, then hands over the case file. And can we just talk about the trust that these two have built up over the years?

Tim was her TO and he came down hard on every little mistake she made. Now, he has full trust in her abilities, including handling the most personal case that's ever come their way.

Tim Watches. Lucy Looks Back.

She knows he's behind her, watching everything. He's separated from it by the glass, but still there. And when his father's mistress rises to leave, Lucy casts a glance back at him.

Lucy's smart enough to know he's headed for the hallway, and she know his objectivity is nonexistent.

"Tim?"

It's likely been 20 years since she saw him. He was just a kid the last time they saw one another. And since he's in plainclothes, she has no idea if he's here because of his family or because he's a cop.

And I think it's so heartbreaking and tragic that Tim would face one of the hardest cases of his career personally without wearing the security of his uniform. We know he always has his badge on him, but this is different.

For so long, Tim has used his identity as a cop as his center. He doesn't have that protection today. He's a man... once a boy... hurting.

"She's covering for him." "Maybe, but we can't prove it."

There's that inclusive language, again. Lucy is letting Tim know that she's on his side, that he isn't alone, that they're together on this. For so long, Tim has operated as a lone wolf. He blocks out help, even from those who care about him.

But Lucy's here to let him know that he isn't alone. And she can only hope her message is getting through.

"Oh, man. Never thought I'd see your face, again."

No "My boy". No "I missed you". In his opening greeting, we get a stark look at what kind of man this is. We've had Tim and Genny's perspectives, sure. But, now we get to see the man for ourselves.

"Wow. Liver really did a number on you, old man."

Tim's distancing himself. He's protecting himself by trying not to think of this man as his father. Sure, lots of people say, "My old man" but it's not the same as "Dad" or "Daddy" or even "Papa".

When I first met my father, I called him by his first name. It took a while before I was ready to call him "Daddy". There's something sacred about that name... something Tim never had in a father.

"You always seem to have someone looking after you, even when you don't deserve it."

Oh, Tim. Because if you look back at Tim's life, he never seems to think that he deserves it. His friends try to be there for him, and he shirks from it. He pulls back. He shifts away.

"Because I saw you two together when I was 13." "Oh, crap." "For some reason that I still don't understand, I lied to Mom. I lied for you."

Because... he's still your father. And I totally get this. I totally understand that part of you that loves the person who's abusing you. That part of you that wants what you don't have and you half-wish that you can make them the parent you need.

You'll do anything for them because you think maybe if you do enough, they'll actually love you. They'll actually want you. They'll stop hurting you. You can have that relationship you always wanted. It's that hope that hurts so horribly because it's never enough.

Tim has tears in his eyes. He's facing the monster to try to get to the truth, because some part of him needs the answer. And if his hunch is right, he can finally see his father face judgment for something.

"Poor little Tim-Tim. What are you bitching about? You kept your mouth shut. You did good. Now, get over it."

"Good"? GOOD!?! You fucking psychopath of a human being. No wonder Tim ran as far as he could.

But, oh, I get this, too. Watching them do something you know is wrong and them expecting you to cover for them. They expect it. And anything less is betrayal.

"And so what if I did?"

Tim's father takes out his oxygen and stands. Watch how Tim braces himself when he does. He's ready for the punch.

"Get back in bed." "Make me."

He's asking for a fight—to prove that his son is no different than he is. Inviting him to take the first swing, to prove that he's a "man" in his father's eyes. But Tim looks away.

Little Tim would never have punched back. And adult Tim wants to be nothing like the man before him.

His father misses the complexity of that moment. He sees only a victory.

"Yeah. That's what I thought."

This line hit me really hard, but not for the reasons you might think.

See, as much as we fight to distance ourselves from those people... they still raised us. We still have them in us. It's a choice every day to be a different person and write a better life.

And the phrasing here sounds like Tim. Tim has a tendency to use "Yeah" as a singular statement and follow it up with another. His father is a part of him.

But that doesn't define Tim. Because every day, Tim has made the decision to be a better man in spite of the one who raised him.

"I brought Monica Ochoa back in." "Why? Because I knew there was more to her story. You couldn't see past the version that you wanted to see." "What'd she say?"

Lucy has always had Tim's back. But I also love that all it took for Tim to listen to Lucy was for her to tell him he was wrong.

There have been times she has called him out (so many times) that he didn't want to hear it. But he and Lucy have come so far.

"You brought me a present." "Think of it more as a push."

Oooooh, the shade. There's a show called Resident Alien, and when the main guy met the main girl's awful mother, he left her with "Smoke more" as a farewell. Same vibe, here.

Tim is letting his father know that, no, he won't end him. But he's not afraid to escort him to the end.

"Monica confessed." "Leave her out of this." "Frank was beating her. She fought back. She shot him. She was terrified, so she ran to you. You came up with the burglary story, helped her stage the house, then you hid the gun in case the cops got too close and you needed to frame someone else."

He's sticking to the facts, this time, instead of conjecture. He's looming over his father, this time, standing closer so he has to look down at him instead of across the room. It's different, this time.

"He was a brutal, abusive bastard. She deserves a medal for what she did." "He was an abusive bastard?" "What? You think I'm like him? I was nothing like Frank. I taught you what you needed to know, son. You're a man, now, because of me."

Toughen up, Rachel. Stop crying, Rachel. You're too soft, Rachel. You need a thicker skin, Rachel.

And somehow they can see it in someone else, but are blind to it in themselves. Because they have a justification for what they've done.

"I'm who I am in spite of you."

Yes. Tim. Bradford. Yes, you are. You looked at the Monster who tried to mold you to follow in his footsteps and said, "screw that". You chose to be your own man. You chose to end this horrible cycle of abuse. And now you get to say it to his face.

And the way his father has no response? It's perfect. Because you know some tiny morsel of what he said got through. Tim knows it, too. Look how he straightens a little... How now that he's said it aloud, he believes it himself.

"Goodbye, Dad. I hope it hurts."

It's the first time he's addressed his father by that name in the whole episode, and it's because he finally feels strong enough to say goodbye.

He'll never see that man, again, but this time he's said his piece and proved to himself that he the man he wants to be... not the Monster who raised him.

Tim walks out and closes the door. This is huge. Because last time he came here, he closed himself in with the Monster and he came alone. This time, he walked in and left the door open because he knew he had backup.

Tim knew Lucy was outside the door the entire time. She's had his back the entire episode, and this time when he came to face the man, he brought her with him. Some part of him knew he needed the support.

And this. is. huge. Tim Bradford takes care of his own problems. Tim Bradford doesn't ask for help. Right? No... Tim Bradford has isolated himself out of fear and trauma over and over and over, again. But today, he chose to let someone in—Lucy.

She heard all of that.

"You okay?" "No. He was protecting her. He never did anything to protect us, but his mistress? Broke half a dozen laws for her." "They picked her up. She's being processed right now. I don't think the DA is gonna prosecute your dad on his deathbed." "It doesn't matter. He'll get judged soon enough."

This whole episode, a part of Tim was hoping to see his father's judgment, to see him punished for the Monster that he was. This line right here shows he's accepted that it's out of his hands. And that's the way it has to be. He's releasing it.

Tim's looking away from Lucy... looking at memories she can't see.

When he does look to her, it's purposeful. He needs to say something.

"The Tim Tests? Those don't make me like him."

The way Tim's voice breaks here kills me. Because he's saying it aloud hoping he'll believe it, that he truly is nothing like that man. And hoping that she'll affirm it... because he'll believe her more than he'll believe himself.

Ever since Lucy mentioned the Tim Tests in the Shop, he's been thinking about it. He's been terrified that he mis-stepped and misjudged and maybe he messed up somewhere along the line. He's tried so hard not to be that man. But Lucy's words caused him doubt.

Because he cares how she sees him. No, they're not in a romantic relationship, here. He's dating someone else, so that's off the table. But, even now, mid Season 4, this is one of the most important relationships of his life. It matters how Lucy sees him.

He can dismiss the thoughts and opinions of so many others. But Lucy's is one of the few that counts. And he can't bear the thought of her thinking him a Monster.

"I know."

The first in a long line of "I know"s from these two. But watch how Tim's jaw clenches after she says it. He wants to believe it so bad, but some part of him isn't sure.

"You're nothing like him.."

Watch how he shakes his head along with her. He wants so badly to believe her, to know that she's telling the truth and not just what he wants to hear. Tim braces, pulling away. He leans away from her.

"Come here."

She echoes his words from 4x01 and puts her arms around him. he goes easily. No hesitation. He leans down to her, pressing his face against hers.

In this moment, he doesn't have to stand strong. The last time they hugged, he was the supportive one, tall and strong for her. This time, he's the one who needs to melt, and Lucy gives him the safe space to do it.

Just outside his father's room. A door separating him from the Monster. But in Lucy Chen's arms, Tim is safe.

"You're nothing like him."

And maybe, maybe, some part of him actually believes it since it's coming from her. The hug lingers. It's pure comfort. And it's exactly what she needs.

FAST FORWARD: Fans of 5x12 (like myself) might have been wondering where Tim got the snap shirt... this is a snap shirt. In fact, it might be the snap shirt. Someone with sharper eyes with mine might want to take a look. But it totally looks like the same shirt to me! (EDIT: It has been confirmed to NOT be the shirt, but at least we know Tim has snap shirts in his wardrobe prior to 5x12).

Moving on...

"Here. Let me help." "I got it. I'm good at cleaning things up on my own." "I know you are. I'm sorry I haven't been here to help more. I'm sorry I haven't been a better big brother."

You must be sitting here thinking, "Uh, Rachel. The last Chenford scene happened... why are you still writing?" Well, Chenford is nothing without Lucy AND Tim.

And who they are doesn't stop when they're apart. To truly appreciate this ship, I feel I need to look at both pieces in total as independent, beautiful characters. The Ship is nothing without them.

Tim has been so wrapped up in his own hurt that he's missed the burdens Genny has carried alone, as a result. But Tim needed the breakthrough that this episode afforded him.

"You're not that bad. When you're around." "Well, all that changes now. I'm coming to visit you every holiday. I'm gonna be calling you at least twice a week. And I will handle fixing up this place and selling it."

This is healing. No, it doesn't remove the scars or their phantom sting. But Tim Bradford spent so much time running away from his past that he missed the fact that he was also running from Genny. His little sister. Who really needed him.

"You should go home. Be with your family." "You're my family, too."

He needed to hear that. He is so worried that he screwed this up too much, that she would be too angry to love her big brother, still. And in four words, she soothed that fear away. You're still my brother.

"How about this? We fix and sell this place together, and then we'll both be done with it. All of it." "Deal."

Letting this go together is exactly what they both needed. Genny passes the broom to him, letting him share in the burden. And Tim gets right to work.

"Whatever happened with that gun?"

Tim doesn't even know where to start... so he keeps sweeping.

The growth that Tim is afforded by this pair of episodes is so needed. When we first meet Tim in the Pilot, he's a broken mess of a human functioning because he can lose himself in his work. He doesn't have to be a man when he's a cop.

Season 4 Tim has come around a lot, but he needed this healing to help him on his journey. He needed to finally be free of his father, not because he ran away, but because he faced him and released him and his hold.

Tim's healing has to come before he can be in a healthy relationship with Lucy Chen.

Look, I know what it's like going into a relationship when you're still dealing with un-healed trauma. Matthew and I had it on both sides. Yes, we fought through together. But, narratively, wouldn't it have been nice if the Universe had let us heal, first, so we'd be better for each other from the get-go?

The Writers afforded Tim and Lucy that opportunity. Does that mean Tim's trauma will never come up again? No. Does that mean Lucy's problems with her parents are a long-gone memory? No.

But whenever these two find one another, they will be healed enough not to destroy the relationship with their pain. When their traumas inevitably pop up, they can face them together from a point of some healing rather than completely raw agony.

Raw was Tim Bradford when we first met him. He has come so far. And he's a better man for it. Not just for Lucy, but for himself. He deserves healing and to find true hope.

Not the false hope that an abusive person will magically change their ways and be the parent he needed... but hope in the form of friendship, family, and a future. A truly beautiful future.

As ever, thanks for reading. Y'all are amazing, and I truly appreciate every Like, Re-Blog, and Comment. Can't wait to see ya on the next!

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #641

Top Ten Funniest Moments in the MCU

I’m about halfway through my planned re-watch of all the Fox-produced Marvel movies (the various mutant-related films, the Fantastic Fours, and Daredevil/Elektra). I’m doing this to soak up as much of the universe as I can before the release of Deadpool and Wolverine at the end of next month. Partly just coz, but also because if I know one thing about Deadpool, it’s that he likes biting the hand that feeds him. A studio being bought, its IP strip-mined, and a cinematic universe flushed away in order to reboot the X-Men within the more-successful MCU? He’s bound to make a few gags about that, right?

So I was thinking, initially, of doing a Top Ten about characters that might cameo – or be referenced – in D&W. Y’know, bring back James Marsden as Cyclops but then do absolutely nothing with him and have him killed off-screen; that sort of thing. I mean, the trailer appears to feature characters as random as Pyro, Lady Deathstrike, and Azazael. But then I thought that wasn’t really very interesting, if for no other reason than I don’t actually think the film will be a cameo-fest. There have been quite a few movies and shows now where us – the rabid Marvel fanbase – got ourselves worked up into a lather at the multiversal possibilities (remember the Mephisto fever around WandaVision?). So I’ve got a funny feeling that D&W will actually turn out to have a relatively straightforward story, rather than just be something that bounces crazily from one Fox property to another.

Far better, I thought, to highlight something that the Deadpool movies are very good at: comedy. One of the defining characteristics, really, of the MCU was its sense of humour, right from the start; Downey’s semi-improvised wisecracks and Jon Favreau’s aptitude at directing comedy helped make Iron Man very distinct from the very serious likes of the X-Men films, Daredevil, and Nolan’s Batman trilogy (The Dark Knight came out the same summer as Iron Man, both big superhero films about arrogant billionaires wearing suits of armour, and yet the two are tonally quite different). Anyway, whilst very few MCU films actually go all-out for comedy the way the Deadpool movies do (and, of course, never as caustically), the point is the MCU has always been very funny.

And so, to celebrate Deadpool – which is funny – I’m going to look at the funniest moments in the MCU. Of course – of course – humour is entirely subjective, so I’m sure there are some weird lines here that hardly anyone else finds amusing; similarly, I bet there are some really big laughs that I’m leaving out. These are my favourite rib-tickling moments, across sixteen years and thirty-odd films (plus TV shows!).

So there you go. comedy plus superheroes equals, er, more comedy? I dunno. Oh, and I decided halfway through to arbitrarily limit this to one moment per film, just because I wanted to include as much variety as possible. So we lose “is he though?” from Ragnarok, for instance, as well the brilliant “I hate it here, they are so weird” exchange with a henchman in Iron Man 3. Also, funnily enough, I didn’t really remember that many properly hilarious bits from the Ant-Man films, despite them being the closest I think the MCU has gotten to a full-throated comedy so far. And unfortunately I didn’t quite find room – or the right line to reference it – for the trick arrow sequence from Hawkeye. Or a line from Kamala Khan! Sorry, Ms. Marvel!

Let’s get giggling.

“Piss off, ghost!” (Thor: Ragnarok, 2017): ah, Korg. Full of great lines, and Ragnarok might be the MCU’s funniest film. So much to pick from, but his wild – and far too late – attack on Loki’s bit of astral projection, impotently kicking the place where the illusion had been, left me reeling. There’s just something about swearing in that Kiwi accent.

“This place would look like a Jackson Pollock painting.” (Guardians of the Galaxy, 2014): Guardians has a Star Wars aura to it, except it’s scabrous and filthy. Despite the MCU’s first F-bomb in Guardians 3, I think this remains the dirtiest joke in the whole saga.

“Why is Gamora?” (Avengers: Infinity War, 2018): different film, same Guardians, and Drax has been a stand-out from the star, his literalness preventing him from getting any number of references. I could have picked the zarg nuts bit, but this refrain might be the film’s funniest moment.

“I wouldn’t go in there for twenty minutes!” (Iron Man 3, 2013): yes, the poo joke is funny, and everything about Ben Kingsley’s performance as Trevor, Trevor Slattery – the toast of Croydon – is masterful. But it’s the whole reveal, really, that’s funny; the film amps up to this big confrontation, then the rug is pulled in spectacular fashion.

“America’s ass.” (Avengers: Endgame, 2019): Scott’s adoration of Steve is a running gag in the movies, as is Tony ripping on everyone. The initial “ass” moment therefore is very funny and on-brand. But the icing on the cake is when Steve himself echoes the sentiment.

“Puny god,” (The Avengers, 2012): it kinda feels like Avengers was the film that finally nailed the Hulk, and this moment really caps it off. Vainglorious Loki gets his comeuppance, battered across the floor like a ragdoll, Hulk giving us basically his only lines in the film, a twist on his “puny human” refrain from the comics. Lol.

“Agatha All Along!” (WandaVision, 2021): like the Mandarin reveal, the whole twist in WandaVision is in itself somewhat humorous, but the reveal is the true delight, showing us the hidden truth with Agatha’s own theme tune. The button at the end? “And I killed Sparky too!”

“They also scream quite a lot.” (Thor: Love and Thunder, 2022): this line sums up this fantastic, OTT recurring gag in Love and Thunder: the screaming goats. Basically they’re massive goats who scream – loudly – a lot. It’s what I call an “Austin’s piss” joke: it goes on far too long, way past being funny, until it becomes funny again.

“Oh, for god’s sake.” (Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2015): this might need a bit of explaining, but basically James Spader plays Ultron with a beautiful note of frustrated exasperation, best expressed when Hulk flings him from a Quinjet, this quite soft exclamation coming from off-screen. It’s like a funny sigh.

“I was at a wine tasting…” (Ant-Man, 2015): Ant-Man is mostly a comedy, and quite funny throughout, but arguably the stand-out is Michael Peña’s Luis, whose stream-of-consciousness, too-much-information explanations are coupled with great stylised flashbacks. It’s such an hilarious motif it’s shocking they couldn’t find room for it in Quantumania.

There we go – funny! I’m distraught that I couldn’t find room for the Guardians Holiday Special though. It would either have been one of the songs, or Groot’s presents.

[age-of-moonknight]

History of the Vestments (Part II)

Long post incoming! :D Here are the rest of my random thoughts on 616!Moon Knight's costumes up through modern comics. As I was going through the material for this post, it normatively felt like there were a lot more artists drawing Moon Knight around the same period of time but with slightly different styles, so unfortunately this definitely isn't an exhaustive collection; it kind of ended up being a little less ontological and a bit more of a tour of some of my favorite points along the timeline (RIP my academic credibility).

1. The Skinny Peaked Hood Era

Although it was probably more indicative of artist David Finch's style than perhaps how Moon Knight's hood was actually supposed to be perceived, I do find it interesting that the markedly longer and thinner peak in the hood distinctive of Mr. Finch's work started to bleed into other artists' interpretation of Moon Knight around this time.

Moon Knight (Vol. 5/2006), #5

For example, there is this comic with art by Arthur Adams and Walden Wong.

Hulk (vol. 2/2008), #8

Another interesting characteristic that was especially emphasized during this period was the cloak's volume, which was expanded to create such wonderfully dramatic panels as this one by artist Jefte Palo:

Moon Knight (vol. 5/2006), #29

Other artists around this same time period, such as Mark Texeira and Javier Saltares respectively, chose to emphasize other elements, instead adding more prominent crescent details on the bracers, boots, and belt. (This definitely confirmed for me that the correct answer to the question "how many crescents are on Moon Knight's suit at any given time?" is "yes")

Moon Knight (vol. 5/2006), #17

Moon Knight (vol. 5/2006), #24

2. Armored, High-Tech Jake Lockley

With a new series and artist, Vengeance of the Moon Knight and Jerome Opeña respectively, the Moon Knight suit once again got a new look, featuring a new crescent logo design on the chest plate and what looks to be, in my opinion, more "futuristic" armor. The designs of the spaulders, bracers, and boots have been altered to include more elongated crescents and the armor overall appears to be more extensive and intensive to put on (necessitating the very post-Iron Man (2008) suiting up scene hahaha). Furthermore, there's also the addition of the firearm holsters, which is a marked development from the Moon Knight of the 1980's who largely tried to avoid firearms.

Cover for Vengeance of the Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2009), #1

Vengeance of the Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2009), #7

Vengeance of the Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2009), #4

One other interesting detail that I noticed becoming more prevalent around this time is the inclusion of more noticeable seams, especially along the sides of the mask (which frankly reminds me of Fantomex hahaha), as seen in this panel with art by Juan Jose Ryp.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2009), #9.

But to be honest, this period was a bit of a free-for-all when it came to design, with some people like artist Bong Dazo really focusing on the details....

Shadowland: Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2010), #2

....others like Mike Deodato Jr. and Will Conrad going with a more "classic" look...

Secret Avengers (Vol. 1/2010), #10

...and others still sort of splitting the difference, as seen with Graham Nolan’s work...

 Captain America: Hail Hydra (Vol. 1/2011), #5

3. Meleev’s Take

Moon Knight (Vol. 6/2011), #8

Maleev’s work on volume 6 leaned more towards the “understated” end of the spectrum, with no decoration on the bracers and boots and a belt that frankly reminds me of the sort of the thing Spider-Man would keep under his suit to carry his web cartridges (and of course, there’s all the other costume weapons/accessories that came with this volume hahaha).

Moon Knight (Vol. 6/2011), #9

4. Precursor to Mr. Knight????

Now this was an interesting (re)discovery: apparently in Secret Avengers #19 (a personal favorite issue of mine) with art by Michael Lark, Moon Knight's undercover stint as a civilian ends with him wearing a combo that is very similar to what Mr. Knight would wear in his debut in an issue published three years later. Just a fun little bit of trivia.

Secret Avengers (Vol. 1/2010), #19.

5. Ladies and Gentlemen, THE Mr. Knight

Moon Knight (Vol. 7/2014), #1

Perhaps one of THE most iconic looks for Moon Knight, Declan Shalvey’s Mr. Knight was described as a respectable public persona who could interact with official authorities, unlike the vigilante Moon Knight, and with such a smart looking three-piece suit, he definitely looks the part. In this particular panel, I especially like the crescent details on the buttons and cuffs.

5. That One Black Suit

Moon Knight (Vol. 7/2014), #2

I uuuuuh actually already wrote a whole post breaking this suit down, so you can find that here, if you like hahaha

6. Ghost Ripper Armor

Moon Knight (Vol. 7/2014), #3

If Mr. Knight is for respectable, above-board business and the Moon Knight armor is for beating up crooks in alley ways, this here armor is for the more mystical elements Moon Knight might need to deal with. While most prominently featured in Shalvey’s work and throughout volume 7, it has popped up in two issues of Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood, first in a story drawn by Akande Adedotun and then in a story with art by Leonardo Romero.

7. Lockley????

Moon Knight (Vol. 7/2014), #8

This one isn’t revolutionary so much as it just haunts me personally. This appearance by an alter only referred to as “Lockley” (Jake Lockley??? although some argue that this may be another alter???) is only found in this issue with art by Greg Smallwood. It features the volume 7 black suit sans the cowl and with the addition of a white mask and honestly, the whole lack of information surrounding this incident just insures that at least I will forever lie awake thinking about it hahaha

8. Bemis Era

Cover for Moon Knight (Vol. 8/2016), #189

The initial artist for the Bemis run, Jacen Burrows, continued the trend of keeping the Moon Knight suit fairly simple in design and monochromatic in color. Some elements I do appreciate, however, are the subtle change in shape of the bracers while the straps across the inner arm still mimic the banding of earlier designs. Furthermore, I just find the use of white lenses surrounded by black, as opposed to the typical glowing blue or slightly less common red, to be an interestingly distinctive artist’s choice.

Moon Knight (Vol. 8/2016), #197

9. MacKay Era

Simply put, I owe artist Alessandro Cappuccio and colorist Rachelle Rosenberg my soul. On my last post about Moon Knight’s suits, there’s a comment about how the body of Marc’s suit was originally supposed to be black while the white was only intended to act as highlights. The classic all-white suit wasn’t adopted until around the West Coast Avengers era due to changes in printing and some readers coming to the conclusion that the suit was white (sort of a Spider-Man 2099 situation where his suit is described in the text as being predominantly black despite looking blue). Mr. Cappuccio seems to be harkening back to that effect and I personally find it very exciting. Depending upon the lighting in a panel, the suit in volume 9 can look almost like the one introduced in volume 7 or it could look almost entirely black…

Moon Knight (Vol. 9/2021), #1

…OR it could look as pure white as people have thought it has been for decades hahaha

Moon Knight (Vol. 9/2021), #8

Add on to that the faint glow effect that’s present even with Mr. Knight's suit and you get a truly otherworldly look perfect for a guy who’s been brought back from the dead a couple times by an Egyptian deity and who will not hesitate to punch a ghost or kill a faery. Or live in a haunted house for that matter.

Moon Knight (Vol. 9/2021), #1

Moon Knight (Vol. 9/2021), #7

Look at this walking glowstick

[ethereousdelirious]

Welcome to the sediment layer of "fills I had to write on a 10+ y/o iPhone because I post my real phone in Canada"

It has since been replaced, but. That was a dark time

Sicktember 2023 Day 28

Prompt: "I should have stayed home"

Fandom: Pokémon

Characters: W.allace, St.even

Notes: Emeto emeto emeto

Now, at this very moment, linguists were re-writing the Official Hoennese Dialect Dictionary. Flip to the 'D' section— there, under 'down bad,' a picture of Wallace sweating through his shirt.

Definition: whatever; example sentence: "Wallace is down bad for Steven Stone."

Down so bad that he'd agreed to come to this hours-long lecture on rocks. Down so bad that he hadn't canceled despite waking up with the stomach ache of the century. Despite the near-misses he'd had throughout the day, stifled gags behind closed lips and hoping the challenger of the hour wouldn't notice anything. And thank the Makers that he hadn't actually gotten sick in his Gym, because then some poor janitor would have had to melt the ice and drain the water and that would have been a nightmare.

Wallace's stomach bucked beneath his waistband. Oh, right. He was already in a nightmare. A never ending stream of lectures on rocks and stones and boulders and minerals and whatever else and he was right up front, so when he inevitably left to go puke his guts up in the university bathroom, everyone would notice.

And then, once he'd recovered, he'd have to find his seat again and sweat through some more lectures, because of course Steven was speaking last.

There was just no way Wallace could miss his speech, not after months of late-night phone calls helping Steven workshop subheading names and sentence structures. He'd been so excited that Wallace had agreed to come.

So Wallace was going to sit and swallow back the waves of nausea and shiver in his custom white suit (with the diamond-studded tulle capelet, thank you very much) and be there for his best friend.

All he had to do was wait.

And wait.

And w— and not throw up, do not, do not.

And wait.

The misery came in waves: first a cold sweat on his brow and pressure in his stomach, then more sweat rolling down his back, then a heavy urge to retch sitting in the back of his throat. His breaths came so loud through his nose it interfered with his ability to hear the lectures and surely his neighbors resented the chill of his exhalations on their wrists, but he couldn't control it. Not if he wanted to control his stomach.

Worst of all, the longer he held back, the more his stomach hurt, cramping like Nolan's Pinsir had him in a Vise Grip.

Pressure and pain built up in his belly until he just couldn't ignore it any more. Brackish saliva flooded his mouth and every attempt to swallow it down met increased resistance at the back of his throat.

He stood just as applause filled the auditorium— a stroke of luck. Keeping his head down, he stumbled over his neighbors' legs on his way out of the auditorium. How rude, to leave like this. But still, it was better than vomiting all over the carpet.

Wallace staggered into the atrium with the next speaker's voice booming in his head— "...the significance of Kanto's Mt Moon. How many of you have had the chance to visit—"

Wallace's stomach lurched and all his senses slammed inward with it, frantic focus on self and now and oh no I'm not going to make it.

Giving up on the bathroom, he steered himself toward the nearest trash can and immediately coated its contents with a thin wash of watery stomach acid. The edge of the can rammed into his sore abdomen and he heaved again, this time bringing up nothing but a quiet noise of distress.

Tears flooded his eyes and his knees gave out. He hit the ground hard, further irritating his stomach, which now felt like the Rusturf Tunnel: violently hollowed with rusty digging equipment.

He sat there on the floor for a moment. Just enough to collect himself, calm his breathing. He felt better now, really, a little better. Better enough that he could do the stupid, thirsty thing and stay long enough to listen to Steven's speech. Otherwise, what was it all for?

All he had to do was picture the grateful look on Steven's beautiful face and it would all be okay.

The feeling of tentative stability stayed through the second half of the speech he'd bailed on, even backing off enough to let him enjoy honest butterflies in his stomach when Steven finally took the stage.

Wallace's front row seat gave him a perfect view of the way Steven's silvery-green eyes sparkled in the spotlights. They were especially captivating tonight, probably because of the fever cooking Wallace's brain. Or, no, Steven really was that magical, wasn't he? From the easy way he commanded a room to his effortless presence in battle, he really was divine.

"...Wallace, whom I really cannot thank enough."

Wallace shook himself. Was that a blush on Steven's cheeks?

"Please stand up, Wallace; I really could not have done this without you." Steven gestured into the audience. "Gym Leader Wallace, everyone."

With his own cheeks burning, Wallace stood. He would have waved to Steven if he hadn't immediately come over dizzy. All his focus shifted at once to the monumental task of staying upright; he had to lock his knees and lean back against his chair for the modicum of stability it offered him.

He all but collapsed when the applause died down and Steven's next few sentences faded away to the roar in his ears.

Oh.

He was really sick.

He should have realized it earlier, probably, as though gagging into a trash can and collapsing hadn't been enough of an indicator. He was… too sick to be here and too stubborn to leave.

Even when the roar in his ears died out, silver spots blinked in his eyes and refused to go away no matter how he tried to ignore them. Worse still, the cramping pain in his stomach came back, low and constant.

And still.

He refused to regret his decision to stay. Steven really had blushed and that meant something and damned if Wallace was going to leave before reaping the rest of tonight's rewards. If staying earned him even one more smile, then he would stay.

-

"Wallace! There you are!" Steven beamed, his smile no less dazzling for the muddy yellow lights beaming down from the exterior of the auditorium. "I wondered where you'd gotten off to."

"Smoke break," Wallace said, uncrossing his arms before Steven could notice how desperately he'd been holding his stomach.

It seemed Steven was too caught up to notice anyway, because he didn't even pretend to laugh at Wallace's bad joke. "I'm so glad you came," he said, taking one of Wallace's hands between both of his own. "Really, I can't thank you enough. You look wonderful."

Wallace's stomach did a flip, half nerves and half real nausea. "I wouldn't miss it," he said. Steven had no idea.

"I'm glad you're alone, actually." Steven held tight to Wallace's hand, somehow not noticing the cold sweat on his palm.

Another flip.

Well, less of a flip and more of a triple lutz, triple flip combination that kicked up a dangerous splash of briny saliva in the back of Wallace's throat. He swallowed with difficulty, trying to keep focused on Steven's face when every instinct in his body screamed at him to curl up on his side and get ready to turn his stomach inside-out.

"Wallace, I wanted to ask you to dinner," Steven said, "just the two of us." His eyes shined green and earnest in the yellow light, putting to rest any lingering suspicion that this was just another dinner between friends.

He had left Wallace the perfect opening to say something charming or, better yet, heartfelt. But the only thing behind his lips was a strangled gag. He swallowed it down and managed to squeak out, "A date?" without painting Steven's shoes, but it was a near thing. Oh, he could cry. All he'd wanted, it was all he'd wanted...

"Yes," Steven said slowly, "a date. Wallace, are you—"

Wallace turned and heaved into the bushes, yanking his hand out of Steven's. There really, really wasn't anything left to come up and he coughed on the empty gags crawling up his throat.

"Wallace!" Steven's warm palm found his forehead, the other anchoring on his back.

The leaves tickled Wallace's face. He batted feebly at them, hands shaking, heaved again, and then his knees buckled and Steven had him, Steven had him.

"Wallace, can you look at me?"

Ugh, leave it to Steven to start testing his mental orientation instead of immediately administering mouth to mouth. With tongue.

"M'fine." Not strictly true. "Not having an aneurysm." A shudder ran through him and Wallace stifled a groan into the warmth of Steven's thigh. "My stomach hurts."

Steven's muscles shifted beneath Wallace's cheek and warm fingers began to brush his hair back. "Did you eat anything questionable earlier?"

Wallace shook his head as much as his positioning would allow. Ah, yes, he was mostly on the pavement, wasn't he? He should get up; his suit would get all dirty. "Haven't… felt well all day. Had to close my Gym early."

"Then why—" Steven's hand stilled for a moment. "Not that I'm not grateful, but why did you come if you weren't feeling well?"

Wallace tried to shift so he could look Steven in the eye, but his stomach cramped fiercely, so he stayed still. "I was hoping you'd ask me out on a date."

"Ohhh..." Steven sighed. "Wallace." He took a deep breath and released it, running his hands through his hair. "Can you sit up? Apparently we're having our first date at the ER."

-

The nurses spared Wallace some indignities and let him keep his suit on. Steven had to help him with his jacket and with rolling up his sleeve and even held his hand when it was time for the IV (which was very, very soon after arriving, because Wallace passed out in the lobby like some kind of waifish soap opera star).

"Did you know you have a fever?" Steven asked, reaching over to put a hand on Wallace's forehead.

Wallace closed his eyes, anchoring one hand on the emesis basin in his lap in case he needed it. "No," he said. The fluids had cleared his mind a little, but all he could picture was Steven's spotlight-dazzling smile. "I would've come anyway."

"I—" Steven broke off with a sigh. "You really don't think you should have stayed home?"

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to ask me out on a date?" Wallace countered. "I had a feeling tonight would be the night."

"You could have asked me out if you were so sure," Steven said, strangely subdued. Wallace opened his eyes and found Steven frowning at him, a furrow between his brows.

"I wanted you to ask me."

"But does that mean that you only agreed to help me with my speech because you wanted—"

"Steven Stone." Wallace held up a hand to stop him and winced when he pulled on the tape holding his IV line in place. "I risked throwing up all over your parents tonight because I wanted you to ask me out on a date. I helped you with your speech because I love— Ah." Searing heat flooded Wallace's face and his stomach dropped, though not in a way that indicated a strong need for the emesis basin. He white-knuckled it anyway, drawing it closer. "...rocks," he finished weakly. "Because I love rocks."

Steven, who had yet to let go of Wallace's hand, pressed a kiss to the back of it like he couldn't help himself, like it was something as reflexive as breathing. "You know, Wallace," he said, gazing at him like he was more beautiful than any diamond, "I love rocks, too."

And this time, Wallace and his upset stomach managed to not ruin the moment.

That honor went to the doctor, who interrupted their adorable little mutual confession with questions about Wallace's health and wellbeing, like that mattered when he could have been canoodling in a hospital bed with Steven.

When the doctor was finally satisfied, thankfully clearing Wallace to go home, Steven took his hand again. "Have you at least learned a lesson from all this?"

"Oh, sure." Wallace squeezed his hand and smiled despite his exhaustion. "Steven Stone rewards bad behavior."

[that-fandom-writer]

The Rookie Fanfiction Prompts

I will be re posting this a lot between now and the time season 6 comes out. are there some already out there with these? yes. 

did I make this list on my own? not entirely 

I will also be adding as I repost 

1- Wopez date

2- Wopez wedding

3- James and Nyla date

4- Double date with James/Nyla and Wopez

5- Elijah getting caught and arrested

6- Aaron getting a love interest lol

7- Aaron and Celina playing D&D

8- Abigail and Henry’s wedding

9- Nolan and Bailey wedding

10- Jack Lopez-Evers birthday party

11- Wopez smut

12- Jealous Wopez

13- Jealous James/Nyla

14- James and Wesley watch the kids so Nyla and Angela can have a night out

15- Patrice at the station again lol (that was so fun)

16- Smitty’s reality show

17- True Crime episode on Rosalind

18- Everyone at the station have different visits to Jacksons grave

19- The POV of Wesley while Angela was kidnapped

20- Nolan’s bachelor party

21- Grey’s retirement party

22- Angela discusses her trauma from her kidnapping

23- Celina’s mom finds out she actually does patrol

24- Nolan’s brother comes back

25- Main character death

26- The birth of the new Wopez baby

27- Henry and Abigail have a baby

28- New rookie is actually a badge bunny

29- One of the kids is in danger (please let the kid be ok)

30- Nyla talks to James about UC

31- James at the community center (just more about what goes on there)

32- Missing moments through out the series 

33- Aaron survives 

34 - speculation for season 6

[denimbex1986]

'The State of the Race

“Oppenheimer” (Universal) with its massive atomic blast and other range of subatomic and cosmic sounds, is the early favorite. But “Barbie” (Warner Bros.), “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” (Paramount), “John Wick: Chapter 4” (Lionsgate), and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony) are the other current frontrunners...

For “Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan once again tapped his Oscar-winning supervising sound editor/sound designer Richard King (“Dunkirk,” “Inception,” “The Dark Knight,” “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World”) to lead the expansive sound design for the biopic thriller about J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), the “father of the atomic bomb.” This included the Trinity test explosion, which sounded like “an enormous cosmic door slamming,” as well as the subatomic particles and waves and cosmic black hole, all manipulated by natural sound effects. Also on the team were Oscar-winning production sound mixer Willie D. Burton (“Dreamgirls”) and Oscar-winning re-recording mixers Kevin O’Connell (“Hacksaw Ridge”) and Gary A. Rizzo (“Dunkirk,” “Inception”)...

Frontrunners

“Barbie” “John Wick: Chapter 4” “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” “Oppenheimer” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”...'

[gozaimachi]

i’ve been thinking about this, that both of these people have a massive and growing audience. sure not all people are their audience. but one thing for sure, they possess a kind of power to influence people in such a way. like, whatever they bake, people would eat that cake.

sometimes people don’t like the cake, sometimes it takes people to eat the cake a few times to realize the cake is so good, and most of the time, there are these people who love the cake at the first bite. note that just because some of these people don’t like the cake, they’re pretty loyal because these bakers—in their pov—are trusted. they don’t like a certain cake the bakers made, but that doesn’t mean the other cakes they’ve baked are awful.

it do be like that.

i wonder, how can they engage a massive audience like that?

so here are my observations:

a. they started from bottom.

nolan’s directorial debut, following (1998), was produced with a tight budget. he never went to film school. his uncle was an actor, but even with that, it didn’t help him to climb the ladder. the second movie, memento (2000) his first oscar nomination along with his lil bro.

taylor’s parents gotta sell their farm so they can move to nashville. she never went to music school, but she got her guitar. she was noticed by SB and (trapped) signed in his record label. her second album, fearless was a boom.

and i think the year where both finally got their first reputation to build a solid base for their career—which also grow throughout the years—was 2008.

the dark knight & fearless.

b. writer

i always believe in the power of writer and their words. as we know, taylor wrote her own songs—whether she co-wrote it or not.

same goes with nolan, he wrote all his movies (and also had collaborated with other writers) except for insomnia (2002) which i think, has the weakest storytelling among his other movies.

c. powerful storyteller

all can be a writer, but not all of them can be a storyteller, especially a powerful one.

this is the power they possess. that’s not something easy to do. you have to be trusted, to be smart, but most importantly, to get close to audience’s emotions. you have to be personal. hits like home.

and they nail it.

d. distinctive

they are just like other musician and filmmaker, but they are different. you just can tell.

they’re not different that makes others feel alienated, but they’re not the same.

this is a formula that i don’t understand.

but if you watch their interviews or speech, you would catch different sentence but one meaning: believe in yourself.

they know what they’re doing. they allow themselves to be disliked. but they never let those things bring them down.

they keep reinventing themselves.

taylor? she’s working on re-recording her albums. she’s not the first singer to do this, BUT to be able to outsold yourself is not easy. she also directed her music. her directorial debut, all too well short film won grammy.

nolan? he was the pioneer for filmmakers to use imax camera which was used for the first time for the dark knight. oppenheimer script was written from the first point of view of the main lead aka oppenheimer himself.

they trust themselves and not focusing on result, but process. that’s what people called as determination.

these people are the ones i look up to.

p. s. this is just for fun fact: they’re both fire sign.

@taylorswift

[mi4012mariaperera]

Understanding DUNKIRK

16/06/2024

Hi Hi! I'm back again to type in some insights I've gotten after watching analytical videos on 'Dunkirk'.

To be honest, my first impression of Dunkirk was that it was so confusing to the point I didn't want to continue watching. Felt like I wasn't big-brain enough to understand the complexity of the storyline. A lot of people can relate to what I'm saying. It's the same feeling I had while watching 'Tenet' in cinemas back in 2020. Both these films have amazing cinematography, however, the complex storyline and variations in time between scenes make it difficult to process what's going on.

Regardless, let's figure out 'Dunkirk' together in my POV.

Dunkirk is a complex film to analyze since it cuts to scenes from 3 POVs and 3 different timelines. Now that I think about it, the Dunkirk timelines sound more complicated than the Tenet timelines. But it's amazing to think about how Nolan managed to connect different timelines and POVs of Land, Water, and Air combined to showcase one outcome in 'Dunkirk'. That outcome is a story of 'Survival'. It's a simple story wrapped around with complexity. (It's like trying to untangle your tangled-up earphones...I guess)

If it isn't obvious, the storytelling of 'Dunkirk' follows a 'Non-linear' narrative (Like most Nolan films) and the fact that there's no main protagonist adds to this point. Watching Dunkirk, makes the audience feel like we are soldiers in Dunkirk. Of course, there are important characters in the story, but they seem so insignificant because we hear no backstory, or even their names most of the time. We the audience are part of this war as the British soldiers are and we are emersed in this journey of survival. That's what makes this film so complicated to process or follow.

Many film critics have mentioned that the film is historically inaccurate. I'm yet to do some research on the 'WW2: Dunkirk' incident. But regardless, the film's portrayal of war survival is definitely unique to most war films.

That's basically all I have to say about Dunkirk. I haven't watched it for a 2nd time to give a more insightful review of the movie. But so far so good. I formulated my opinion on the movie and also better understood the context of the film thanks to some video essays and interviews I found on YouTube. The links to these videos are down below. Feel free to check them out!

I also found this video explaining the factual events that took place in Dunkirk and comparing that with the 'Dunkirk' film. I plan on watching this in the future before re-watching the film.

That's all for today's post! Thank you for reading! :D <3

[wqbytop100]

WQBY

Top 100 for the week ending June 9, 2024

End Of Time --Lucas & Steve, LAWRENT feat/Jordan Shaw -1

One, Two & 3 ---Galantis -6

Love & Pain --Enrique Iglesias -5

Buscando Money --TWENTY-SIX, Tayson Kryss -3

I Had Some Help --Post Malone, Morgan Wallen -8

Lighter --Galantis, David Guetta, 5 Seconds of Summer -2

Eyes Closed --Imagine Dragons -7

Heaven Or Not --Diplo, Riva Starr, Kareem Lomax -13

Sleep Tonight (This Is The Life) --Switch Disco, R3HAB, Sam Feldt -4

Addicted --ZERB, The Chainsmokers feat/INK -9

Hell Together --David Archuleta -10

Take A Moment --ATB, David Frank -21

Underwater --DubVision, Afrojack -11

The Moves --NEIKED, Muni Long, Nile Rodgers -18

Lovers In A Past Life --Calvin Harris, Rag'N'Bone Man -17

Beat Of Your Love --Ownboss, LAWRENT feat/Ekko -15

We Ain't Good At Breaking Up --Brothers Osborne -12

Fallin Luv ---Gordo, Jeria -14

Jet Plane --R3HAB, VIZE, JP Cooper -19

What If We Met --Ali Gatie -16

Kissing Strangers --USHER -20

Whatever --KYGO feat/Ava Max -55

Role Model --Fatboy Slim, Dan Diamond, Luca Guerrieri -24

My Favorite Drug --Justin Timberlake -22

Automatic --Roosevelt -32

Glad I Found You --Elderbrook & George Fitzgerald -23

Left Or Right --Laidback Luke, Mathew Nolan -45

***Multiply --Becky Hill -(new)

Enhancer --Northeast Party House -29

Nothing Ever Changes --Vintage Culture, MAGNUS -30

One Cry --Galantis, Rosa Linn -73

Level Up --Wolfgang Gartner, Scrufizzer -33

Weight Of The World --Bonnie X Clyde -25

Anthem --Diplo, Shram, Pony -26

Willing To Let You Go --Diplo, Anella Herim, Abby Anderson -35

God Don't Leave Me Alone --Gioli & Assla -38

No Shade At Pitti --The Chainsmokers -52

***I Go Dance --Kiesza -(new)

My Body --Illusionize, Y&M -31

The Craving ---Twenty One Pilots -95

Shadow --Trixie Mattel -37 -5weeks-

Without You --Disco Fries, Lavish Life -27

When I Wake Up --Lucas & Steve, Skinny Days -28

Make Me Your Mrs. --Mae Stephens -34

Monster --A7S, ALOK -36

Feel This Way --Victoria Nadine, R3HAB -39

Low Again --BAKERMAT -40

Reckless Child --Milky Chance -41

Houdini --Dua Lipa -44

Young & Foolish --Loud Luxury, Charlieonafriday -42

Forgive Me --ODESZA, Izzy Bizu -54

Disconnect --Becky Hill, Chase & Statis (Tiesto Remix) -61

Come Come --Vintage Culture, Tube & Berger, Kyle Pearce -90

Never Ending Song --Conan Gray -51

Outlaw Love --Brooke Eden (Dave Aude Remix) -43

The Afterhours --Kyle Watson -46

Lil Tune --Gus Dapperton, Electric Guest -47

Loose Ends --Lucas Estrada, Syn Cole -49

Don't You Cry --Sunday Scaries, Discrete -48

Wake Up --Young Franco, Master Peace -60

Undone --Forest Blakk -50 >>>

Hero --Vintage Culture, Emery Taylor -96

Without You --Felix Jaehn, Jasmine Thompson -62

Make You Mine --Madison Beer -65

Last Night --LOOFY -66

Weatherman --Zach Hood -67

Wake Up --Skylar Blatt feat/Chris Brown -68

LA --Northeast Party House -72

Animal --R3HAB, Jason Derulo -74

Naked & Alive --Milky Chance -83

America --Charlie Crockett -85

I Believe --Bassjackers, WUKONG, D Jayne -86

The Weekend --Anti-Up -87

Promised Land --Vintage Culture, Paige Cavell -88

Sun Comes Up --Timmie Trumpet, Sam Feldt, Ekko, Joe Taylor -94

***Paradise --Madison Rose -(new)

***Old Fashion Feeling --Midland -(new)

NNTS --Ookay -98

Outside Of Love --Becky Hill -99

Morning --Cheat Codes, Jason Derulo -92

Better Me --Michael Schulte, R3HAB -81 >>>

Regret The Morning --SILK, Mali-Koa -82 >>>

Illusion --Dua Lipa -71

Man In Finance --Girl On Couch, Billen Ted -97

***Gravity --Frank Walker, Tyler Shaw -(new)

***U Should Not Be Doing That --Amyl and the Sniffers -(new)

***Southern Rock --Travis Demming, HARDY -(new)

***Can't Slow Down --Almost Monday -(new)

Why Should I --Z3LLA -80 >>>

<>Kettle's Up ---Mahmut Orhan, Axelax, Botin -(re-entry) >>>

<> Same Drunk --Walker Hayes -(re-entry) >>>

Give It To Me Good --SIDEPIECE, Disco Lines -89 >>>

Dance Alone --SIA feat/Kylie Minogue -79

She's On My Mind --Romy -70 >>>

Never Be Friends --Jost, Minogue -75 >>>

Lonely Dancer --Conan Gray -63 >>>

Before You Go --Seeb -57 >>>

One On One --Robin Schulz, Oaks, Topic -56 >>>

Cutting Loose --Disco Lines, J Worra, Anabel Englund -76 >>>

Murder On The Dancefloor --Sophie Ellis-Bextor -91 >>>

2 -<> re-entries 8 new =10 6.9.24 <> #90 Kettle's Up <> #91 Same Drunk 8 NEW on the chart this week #28 Multiply #38 I Go Dance #76 Paradise #77 Old Fashion Feeling #85 Gravity #86 U Should Not Be Doing That #87 Southern Rock #88 Can't Slow Down

[catstarrecordings]

DISCO FUNKY FEVER 2024 (CATSTAR RECORDINGS)

Disco Funky Fever 2024 [Catstar Recordings] Mixed by: Murchikk & D!scoman CD1 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UVCgn-gEjqgexZOSVMrX_C1sKmy794aM/view?usp=sharing

CD2 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FD0XNPnWV_GrJ1_devrhDfVayglQA6GA/view?usp=sharing

CD3 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K-eEUsEFv9MHfJjzveieQON0HhHUiCYJ/view?usp=sharing

CD4 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oQwoZWsQltIwenfbfx4eROehKe4ykILx/view?usp=sharing

CD1 01.F Physical - No More Feeling (Original Mix) 02.Mirko & Meex - Ooh La La La (Extended Mix) 03.Gershon Jackson, Reset Preset - Hands Together 04.Husky, Martina Budd & Andre Espeut - Brand New Love (Husky s Extended Club Mix) 05.Sean Finn - Cada Vez (Cassim Extended Remix) 06.Christian Vila - I Needed Love (Original Mix) 07.Bonka - I Like It (Qubiko Extended Remix) 08.Watne Soul Avengerz & Odyssey Inc Feat Vanessa Jackson - Don t Mess With My Man (Trois Garcon Mix) 09.Keith Mac - Erotic (Extended Mix) 10.Nick Jay & Jean Luc - Silence (Mind Electric Remix) 11.Maickel Telussa - Trouble (Original Mix) 12.Sean Finn - Dreaming 13.Bugatti Music - Give Me More 14.GhostMasters - Make Me Lose The Breath (Extended Mix) 15.Einmusik & Solee - Mariposa (Original Mix) 16.Paco Caniza - Need Your Soul (Original Mix) 17.Yolanda Be Cool - Tiger Stripes

CD2 01.Micky More & Andy Tee, Reverendos Of Soul, Anduze - Devoted 02.Eelke Kleijn vs Lee Cabrera - Self Control (Extended Mix) 03.Samples On Steroids - Uh Babe (Extended Mix) 04.Fraser - Chicago 93 (Extended Mix) 05.Silque - Hold On (Extended Mix) 06.Mattei & Omich - Let No Man Put Asunder (Re-Tide Remix) 07.Muttonheads - Feels Good 08.Crazibiza - Fresh (House Of Prayers Poolside Edit) 09.Bizarrap - SHAKIRA BZRP Music Sessions 53_ 10.Adri Block - Pick Me Up 11.Alegra Cole - Ella (Extended Mix) 12.Ghostbusterz - More & More 13.Digitalism - Binary (Original Mix) 14.Kevin McKay - Tom's Diner (Extended Mix) 15.Atlantic Ocean - Waterfall 2023 (Dr Packer Extended Remix) 16.Junior Jack vs. Juliet Sikora & Flo Mrzdk - Thrill Me (Extended Mix) 17.Block & Crown feat. Daisy - Mr Vain (Original Mix) 18.Fuzzy Hair - Wheel Me Out 19.Essel - Lennon (Extended Mix)

CD3 01.Ron Carroll - A New Day (Dr Packer Remix) 02.Lee Wilson - Whe Chase The Sun (Mirko & Meex Remix) 03.Sean Finn - Batucada 04.Adri Block, DJ Groovemonkey - Keep On Groovin (Clubmix) 05.Renote - Sizzling 06.MF Productions - Only One Thing (Original Mix) 07.Ferreck Dawn, Jena (US) - Better (Extended Mix) 08.Richard Grey, Lissat, Ghostbusterz - Makeba 09.Sean Finn - On the Beach (Yvvan Back Vocal Extended Remix) 10.Wady, Sean Finn, MoonDark - Pasilda (Kone & Marc Palacios Remix) 11.Block & Crown - These Are for Real (Original Mix) 12.Giorgio V. - Daddy s Pool 13.Croatia Squad, Me & My Toothbrush - Heya (Club Mix) 14.Dombresky - IRLY (I Really Love You) (Extended mix) 15.Paul Parsons, Block & Crown - Brown Sugah 16.Angelo Ferreri & Danmic s - Is It You 17.Disco Dice - Stand Back 18.Mitch Gilby - La Vida (Original Mix)

CD4 01.Richard Grey - Glamorous (Original Mix) 02.Dj.A-Bor - It s All Vain 2023 03.Hatiras, BISHØP - How You Gonna (Jay Vegas Remix) 04.Dj.A-Bor - Love For You 2023 05.Crazibiza & House of Prayers - One Night In The Disco (Original Mix) 06.Dutchican Soul, Greg Van Bueren - Reckless Girl 07.Dave Leatherman, Bruce Nolan - Love Supreme 08.Phil Fuldner - Fun Fun (Extended Mix) 09.Disco Gurls - Dance Lady (Extended Mix) 10.Max Magnani - Kill the Groove (Original Mix) 11.Mauricio Cury - Time To Give (Original Mix) 12.Mauricio Cury feat. Just Gray - Another Brick In The Wall (Original Mix) 13.Binary Finary - 1999 (Murchikk & D!scoman Rmx) 14.Dj.A-Bor - Safe From Harm 2023 15.Block & Crown feat. Joy T Barnum - Hideaway (Block & Crown Dope Demand Mix) 16.Laurent Simeca - All Night to the Sun (Stev Dive Extended Remix) 17.Mario Piu - The Vision (Da Clubbmaster Remix) 18.Block & Crown, Sean Finn - Better Take That (Extended Mix) 19.KPD - Don t Lie (Extended Mix)

[kamreadsandrecs]

By Vince Mancini

Oppenheimer is a sumptuous drama from one of our finest directors working at the top of his game—but there's only so much information you can pack into a three-hour movie. The movie entertains and makes you feel dumb in almost equal measure, making it hard to escape the basic takeaway that we probably should know a lot more: About this guy, the Cold War, the birth of the Atomic Age, and quantum physics in general. And while you can (and should) head straight to Wikipedia, the real lore is in books and documentaries, and here are 11 to get you started. 

At the risk of being painfully obvious, the book on which the movie was based seems a logical place to start. Written by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, it was published in 2005 and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize. Nolan reportedly began adapting it after Robert Pattinson gave him a collection of Oppenheimer’s speeches as a parting gift when the two finished Tenet. (It would’ve been called “Oppie” if not for a last-minute veto from an editor.)

The other big book on the subject, from Richard Rhodes, published in 1987, which also won the Pulitzer Prize. Focused more on the general history of the bomb than on Oppenheimer himself, Rhodes relied heavily on lengthy interviews with the scientists and engineers of Los Alamos.

Less well-known than Rhodes or Bird and Sherwin’s books, UC Merced historian Gregg Herken received a MacArthur Grant to write this history of the nuclear age, told through the three titular personalities, Oppenheimer, Lawrence, and Teller—who you may now know as Cillian Murphy, Josh Hartnett, and Benny Safdie.

For those of us who prefer watching to reading, there’s Jon Else’s Oscar-nominated 1981 documentary about Oppenheimer’s anti-proliferation advocacy. 40-year-old documentaries can be tough to find these days, but this one is luckily available from the Criterion Channel. “Through extensive interviews and archival footage, The Day After Trinity traces Oppenheimer’s evolution, from architect of one of the most consequential endeavors of the twentieth century to an outspoken opponent of nuclear proliferation who came to deeply regret his role in ushering in the perils of the atomic age.”

Also in the documentary department, there’s PBS’s 2009 re-enactment-style documentary about Oppenheimer and the subsequent battles over his communist affiliations, produced as part of the "American Experience" series, starring David Straithairn as Oppenheimer. Directed by David Grubin, it’s about as straightforward a telling of some of the background information covered in the film as you’ll find. (It’s also available on Apple TV.)

John Hershey’s 30,000-some word report focusing on six survivors of the first atomic bomb exploded on a civilian population initially took up an entire issue of the New Yorker in the summer of 1946, and was turned into a book soon after. It’s one of the most famous pieces of journalism ever, to the point that it spawned an entire book about the making of it – Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-up and the Reporter Who Revealed It to the World, by Leslie M.M. Blume. Chances are you’ve already heard of Hiroshima, but the perspective it offers from the bomb’s actual victims is the mandatory counterpart to any Oppenheimer viewing.

If Oppenheimer advances (somewhat) the traditional narrative that the A-Bomb was the revolutionary weapon that ended the war, Princeton historian Michael D. Gordin presented a counter-interpretation in his 2007 book that “the military did not clearly understand the atomic bomb’s revolutionary strategic potential, that the Allies were almost as stunned by the surrender as the Japanese were by the attack, and that not only had experts planned and fully anticipated the need for a third bomb, they were skeptical about whether the atomic bomb would work at all.” 

If the race to beat the Germans to developing the atomic bomb is the obvious cinematic center of Oppenheimer, Nolan devotes a surprising portion of the film and especially the last hour to the 1953 hearings over Oppenheimer’s security clearance, which was denied over his alleged communist ties (and, according to the film, all spearheaded by Oppenheimer’s nemesis, Atomic Energy Commissioner Lewis Strauss, played by Robert Downey Jr.). In this volume, Cornell historian Richard Polenberg drew on annotated transcripts of the hearing and Oppenheimer's subsequent appeal, as well as declassified FBI files, to create a portrait of the Cold War atmosphere of the time and what the hearing's outcome meant for Oppenheimer and for the world. 

If Oppenheimer presents a fairly sympathetic portrait of Robert Oppenheimer in his relationships to his left-wing friends, this pair of articles from Esquire and the New York Review of Books are… less sympathetic. The former also offers detailed interpretations of Oppenheimer’s conflict with Strauss. 

Oppenheimer opens with its subject trying to understand, and then teach, the truly strange and seemingly paradoxical science of quantum physics. Certainly there are more scholarly works on the subject, but probably there exists no goofier introduction to subatomics than AC Weisbecker’s 1986 cult semi-autobiographical novel about a pot smuggler who becomes obsessed with quantum physics and his dog. The easiest way to learn something is by accident, and it doesn’t get more accidental than this footnote-heavy farce.



[kammartinez]

By Vince Mancini

Oppenheimer is a sumptuous drama from one of our finest directors working at the top of his game—but there's only so much information you can pack into a three-hour movie. The movie entertains and makes you feel dumb in almost equal measure, making it hard to escape the basic takeaway that we probably should know a lot more: About this guy, the Cold War, the birth of the Atomic Age, and quantum physics in general. And while you can (and should) head straight to Wikipedia, the real lore is in books and documentaries, and here are 11 to get you started. 

At the risk of being painfully obvious, the book on which the movie was based seems a logical place to start. Written by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, it was published in 2005 and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize. Nolan reportedly began adapting it after Robert Pattinson gave him a collection of Oppenheimer’s speeches as a parting gift when the two finished Tenet. (It would’ve been called “Oppie” if not for a last-minute veto from an editor.)

The other big book on the subject, from Richard Rhodes, published in 1987, which also won the Pulitzer Prize. Focused more on the general history of the bomb than on Oppenheimer himself, Rhodes relied heavily on lengthy interviews with the scientists and engineers of Los Alamos.

Less well-known than Rhodes or Bird and Sherwin’s books, UC Merced historian Gregg Herken received a MacArthur Grant to write this history of the nuclear age, told through the three titular personalities, Oppenheimer, Lawrence, and Teller—who you may now know as Cillian Murphy, Josh Hartnett, and Benny Safdie.

For those of us who prefer watching to reading, there’s Jon Else’s Oscar-nominated 1981 documentary about Oppenheimer’s anti-proliferation advocacy. 40-year-old documentaries can be tough to find these days, but this one is luckily available from the Criterion Channel. “Through extensive interviews and archival footage, The Day After Trinity traces Oppenheimer’s evolution, from architect of one of the most consequential endeavors of the twentieth century to an outspoken opponent of nuclear proliferation who came to deeply regret his role in ushering in the perils of the atomic age.”

Also in the documentary department, there’s PBS’s 2009 re-enactment-style documentary about Oppenheimer and the subsequent battles over his communist affiliations, produced as part of the "American Experience" series, starring David Straithairn as Oppenheimer. Directed by David Grubin, it’s about as straightforward a telling of some of the background information covered in the film as you’ll find. (It’s also available on Apple TV.)

John Hershey’s 30,000-some word report focusing on six survivors of the first atomic bomb exploded on a civilian population initially took up an entire issue of the New Yorker in the summer of 1946, and was turned into a book soon after. It’s one of the most famous pieces of journalism ever, to the point that it spawned an entire book about the making of it – Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-up and the Reporter Who Revealed It to the World, by Leslie M.M. Blume. Chances are you’ve already heard of Hiroshima, but the perspective it offers from the bomb’s actual victims is the mandatory counterpart to any Oppenheimer viewing.

If Oppenheimer advances (somewhat) the traditional narrative that the A-Bomb was the revolutionary weapon that ended the war, Princeton historian Michael D. Gordin presented a counter-interpretation in his 2007 book that “the military did not clearly understand the atomic bomb’s revolutionary strategic potential, that the Allies were almost as stunned by the surrender as the Japanese were by the attack, and that not only had experts planned and fully anticipated the need for a third bomb, they were skeptical about whether the atomic bomb would work at all.” 

If the race to beat the Germans to developing the atomic bomb is the obvious cinematic center of Oppenheimer, Nolan devotes a surprising portion of the film and especially the last hour to the 1953 hearings over Oppenheimer’s security clearance, which was denied over his alleged communist ties (and, according to the film, all spearheaded by Oppenheimer’s nemesis, Atomic Energy Commissioner Lewis Strauss, played by Robert Downey Jr.). In this volume, Cornell historian Richard Polenberg drew on annotated transcripts of the hearing and Oppenheimer's subsequent appeal, as well as declassified FBI files, to create a portrait of the Cold War atmosphere of the time and what the hearing's outcome meant for Oppenheimer and for the world. 

If Oppenheimer presents a fairly sympathetic portrait of Robert Oppenheimer in his relationships to his left-wing friends, this pair of articles from Esquire and the New York Review of Books are… less sympathetic. The former also offers detailed interpretations of Oppenheimer’s conflict with Strauss. 

Oppenheimer opens with its subject trying to understand, and then teach, the truly strange and seemingly paradoxical science of quantum physics. Certainly there are more scholarly works on the subject, but probably there exists no goofier introduction to subatomics than AC Weisbecker’s 1986 cult semi-autobiographical novel about a pot smuggler who becomes obsessed with quantum physics and his dog. The easiest way to learn something is by accident, and it doesn’t get more accidental than this footnote-heavy farce.

[triflesandtea]

OH, WOW, I’m late. Thank you so much for the tag!

Let us begin. 😈

Three Ships: Uhm...same as Embargo above. 🤣 I’m not a relationship person at all. I can only think of two at the moment (Peter Bishop and Olivia Dunham from the TV show Fringe, and Dr. Watson and Mary Morstan from, uh, The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle XD) that I appreciate and that are done so well that it’s clean and wholesome and sweet.

So, y’know what? I’m not going to leave you empty-handed. I SHALL INDEED GIVE YOU THREE SHIPS....

:D 🎶 I saw three ships come sailin’ in / On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day / I saw three ships come sailin’ in / On Christmas Day in the mornin’! 🎶

HEHEHEHEHEHE—

First Ship: My first ship was a beautiful model of the Mayflower—oh, how square-rigged she was! Oh, how I imagined her beautiful wood would have creaked and the wind would have flown through her creamy white sails!

😁😉

Last Song: Uhhh...well, I’m obsessed with Sweet Viledee by Dervish right now (as well as their other songs Grainne, Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves, Máire Mór, Bold Doherty, Seán Bháin.... Yeah...I may be kind of on a Dervish spree?). Other than that, I’m still listening to Scottish music all the time too.

(Also, @egginfroggin, DID YOU SAY ABNEY PARK?! They’re so cool! 🤩)

Last Movie: We just watched Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning not that long ago (SO GOOD), and we’re going to be watching the new Oppenheimer movie tonight. Yes, I’m Team Oppenheimer, not that sickeningly pink Barbie rubbish. Give me action and stakes and Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy’s incredible acting and Hans Zimmer’s music ANY BLAZIN’ DAY.

Currently Reading: Just finished The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (boy, was that fun), and now I’m back to my three-books-at-once routine. I’m reading Dìlseachd: A Stolen Crown by Cheyenne van Langevelde, Playing With Fire by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and—you guessed it—I’m re-reading The Return of Sherlock Holmes (also by Sir ACD) because IT’S JUST SO BLAZING GOOD OKAY?!

And I NEVER re-read. So...uh...that’s something.

Currently Writing: I’m currently working on two different WIPs, one of which is a space opera (sci-fi/fantasy like Star Wars combined with LOTR, LOL), and the other is a Victorian mystery à la Sherlock Holmes or the Poirot mysteries. It features an eccentric Scottish detective I may have talked about once or twice on these Tumbl(e)rish parts.

Les Tags: Okay...I know absolutely no one on here because I never come on here, so... 😂

Let’s know more about you guys!

@duchess-of-mandalore @mind-rebels-at-stagnation @ismiseraonaid @please-dont-pet-the-okapi @explosivequill @spengnitzed @bowl-of-wyrms

That’s all I’ve got. And no problem if those of you who are tagged don’t want to do this! :P

Tag people you’d like to know better

Thank you @klarionthewizard for this

Three ships: Link/Zelda also Mipha/Link (fish wife did not deserve what happened to her.) Maedhros/ therapy

First ship: I can’t even remember, probably Aragorn/Arwen

Last song: either Ræb’s lament or blood upon the snow (you have to be in a ‘mood’ to write Maedhros)

Last movie: the quiet man with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara

Currently reading: a bunch of fanfics (mostly Star Wars, the silmarillion, the Legend of Zelda )

Currently writing: Maedhros in Hyrule. I think Maedhros would survive and thrive in breath of the wild era Hyrule, and Link needs a backpack leash.

I’m poking @mellifexfarm @musewrangler @firestorm78583 @eatyourdamnpears @egginfroggin with a stick

[milliondollarbaby87]

My Christmas Inn (2018) Review

My Christmas Inn (2018) Review

Jen Taylor is a big city advertising executive who is just about to land her dream promotion when she must head to a small town in Alaska when she inherits her Great-Aunt’s inn in order to sell it.

⭐️⭐️

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